TALMAGE – Fire Chief Greg Conz credits a Talmage man’s dog for alerting him to a dangerous house fire just before 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Conz said the single occupant of the house on 46th Road west of Talmage got out safely after he was woken by his dog.

Conz: “If he hadn’t had a dog, he … we would probably be talking about a fatality.”

Talmage and Dunbar firefighters primarily contained the fire to the kitchen.

 

Conz said the fire appeared to lose its source when the electric power was cut to the house. He said an interior attack crew entered the building and put out hot spots in the kitchen area.

The state Fire Marshal’s report an arcing electrical outlet that did not trip the circuit breaker.

Conz said an overheating slushy machine may have been the culprit for the fire, which caused an estimated $30,000 damage to the 110-year-old home.

County records list Landon Holmes at the owner since last fall.